CALVIN COLLEGE NCAA III TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS REPORT FOR MAY 28, 2005
WAVERLY, IA * For the second straight year, Calvin’s bid for a national title in women’s track and field came up agonizingly short. In a meet that once again came down the final event, host Wartburg captured its first-ever national title in women’s track and field with a first place total of 43 points, finishing one point ahead of Calvin and Wisconsin-Oshkosh which tied for second with 42 points with the College of New Jersey fourth with 41 points.
The one-point margin of victory matched the closest finish in NCAA III Championships history in women’s outdoor track and field as Cortland State of New York captured the national title in 1985 by a one-point margin, edging the University of Southern (New Orleans) 62-61. The two-point margin separating the top four teams on Saturday also marked the closest finish between the top four teams in the history of the NCAA III Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
In 2004 at the national meet hosted by Millikin University, Calvin needed to win the 4x400 meter relay to edge Wisconsin-Oshkosh for the national title but took third place to finish just 2.7 points behind the Titans in the final team standings.
On Saturday at Wartburg, Calvin was in a similar position as it sat in a tie for second place with Wartburg with only one event left as each team had 37 points with Wisconsin-Oshkosh first with 42 points. Calvin could have won the national title by finishing in the top three in the 4x400 relay and finishing ahead of Wartburg but Calvin took fourth (3:47.82) while Wartburg was third (3:46.14). The College of New Jersey took first in the relay with a time of 3:45.58 to vault into fourth place. Meanwhile Wartburg slipped into first, one point ahead of Calvin and Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
Calvin’s run for a national title was hampered by a critical injury suffered by senior Laura Hamilton (Downers Grove, IL) in the 400 meter hurdles earlier Saturday afternoon. Seeded second in the event heading into Saturday’s final, Hamilton pulled a hamstring muscle moments after bolting out of the starting blocks. With a noticeable limp, Hamilton courageously made her way around the track for an eighth place finish (1:25.39) that was worth one point and an All-America finish. Hamilton’s injury however, also left Calvin without one of its top four relay members for the 4x400 that was seeded second.
Hamilton was replaced by alternate Katie VanderLaan (Grand Rapids Christian HS) in the 4x400 meter relay.
“Injuries are part of track and field,” said Calvin track and field coach Jong-Il Kim. “We brought Katie VanderLaan along as an alternate for a reason and she was there to step into a very difficult situation. I am proud of her for stepping in at a very difficult moment for us.”
The national runner-up finish by the Calvin women’s track and field team was also bittersweet said Kim. “We feel some disappointment because we had a great opportunity to win (the national championship),” said Kim. “But we gave it our best effort and a second place (team) finish is still a great honor. I am very proud of all our athletes who competed this weekend.”
Calvin senior Sue Abbring (Schereville, IN) was the big reason why the Knights were in position to challenge for a national title on Saturday as she took second in the 400 meters (55.10), third in the 200 meters (24.38) and ran the anchor leg on Calvin’s fourth place 4x400 meter relay team.
Abbring’s time in the 400 meters was a personal best. With 25 meters left in the race, she zoomed from fourth to second place with a final burst of speed. In the 200 meters, she matched her own school-record time. Abbring closed out her Calvin career as an 11-time track and field All-American.
“Sue Abbring was great,” said Kim. “She is one of the finest female athletes that Calvin has ever had and she showed that today in her final meet. She will be very difficult to replace and we will miss her very much.”
Joining Abbring and VanderLaan on the All-American 4x400 meter relay team were freshman Sarah Wittingen (East Grand Rapids HS) and sophomore Lisa Winkle (South Christian HS) with Winkle running on her second straight All-America relay team while Wittingen did so for the first time.
VanderLaan also ran on her second straight All-America relay team Saturday. Hamilton closed out her Calvin track and field career as a seven-time All-American.
Calvin’s second place team finish marked the 11th national runner-up berth in Calvin athletics history. It also marked its third national runner-up finish in women’s track and field, its sixth top-four national finish and its nine top-10 national finish in the last 12 years.
On the men’s side, Calvin finished a surprising sixth with 30 points, one point ahead of seventh place Wartburg. The Calvin men brought just six athletes to the national meet but left with eight All-America finishes with three coming on Saturday.
Senior Jeff Engbers (Whitinsville, MA) picked up Calvin’s first All-America certificate on Saturday with a sixth place finish in the 1,500 meters (3:57.19). Engbers was seeded near the bottom of the field of 12 heading into Saturday but made the most of his final collegiate race. Heading into the final lap, Engbers moved into the top group of five. The move would prove to be crucial for Engbers as a collision occurred just behind him with 300 meters to go, sending four runners spilling onto the track, leaving just eight runners in the lead group. Engbers then held off two runners in the final meters to post the sixth place finish.
“We started slow so I just tried to get in a good position going into that final lap,” said Engbers. “I feel very fortunate that I avoided the tangle. It’s unfortunate that it happened but it does on occasion in a race like this where everyone is struggling for position.”
Calvin would then add two more All-America berths in the 5,000 meters as fifth-year senior Kris Koster (Grand Rapids Christian HS) and sophomore Tim Finnegan (Los Alamos, NM) fought off fatigue from a grueling 10,000 meters two nights before to finish fourth and eighth respectively. Like his 10,000 meter run Thursday night, Koster ran in the top three for nearly the entire race before getting passed by one runner in the last lap as he finished with a time of 14:44.82. Finnegan was not far behind with an eighth place time of 14:49.66.
“I am thrilled for both of those guys,” said Calvin distance coach Brian Diemer. “Once again, Kris Koster ran a brillian race. He knows that he does not have the closing speed like many of the other runners so he got out at the front of the pack. And Tim Finnegan showed a lot of heart and desire today. He did not have as much gas left in his tank but he used up every last drop that he had. He has a big future in store for him yet at Calvin College.”
Al Hoekstra who shares the distance coaching duties with Diemer was also delighted with the afternoon of All-America efforts. “We had two great efforts from seniors in Jeff Engbers and Kris Koster which allowed them to close out their collegiate careers on a high note,” said Hoekstra. “And Tim Finnegan got another big dose of confidence with his races this weekend and that should help him even more down the road.”
Lincoln (PA) University dethroned four-time defending national champion Wisconsin-LaCrosse for the men’s national title as it finished with 69 points, 2.5 points ahead of LaCrosse.
The sixth place finish by the Calvin men’s track and field team marked its fifth top-10 national finish in the last seven years.
The MIAA also crowned two other All-Americans on Saturday as Hope sophomore Ryan TerLouw took seventh in the men’s 1,500 meters (3:57.57) while Hope freshman Lindsay Lange was seventh in the women’s 400 meters (56.58). Also competing for the MIAA on Saturday were Albion’s Ross Plont in the men’s javelin and Adrian’s Katherine Converse in the hammer throw. Neither individual qualified for the finals.
With its pair of top-10 national finishes in track and field on Saturday, Calvin finished with six top-10 national team finishes during the 2004-05 academic year as its men’s cross country team took first, it’s women’s track and field team second, its men’s basketball team third, it’s men’s track and field team sixth, its women’s basketball team eighth and it’s women’s swimming and diving team ninth.
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Sat May 28 19:49:26 2005
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